COINCIDENCE (to my ever loving brother)

In my mask, I joined James on the long road trip which he can't deny planning before now for I do not understand where he has been driving us for the past three hours.

"Keep on with that look, and I will drive further," James shouted while laughing out loud. He is enjoying himself. He raked his fingers through his wind-tossed hair daring me to react.

"Didn't you say you are taking me to the hospital?" I shouted so he could hear me too amidst the loud music leaping from his cassette.

"Clinic!"

"They are the same!"

"Snap it off Greg and enjoy this...feel the fresh air of the universe...wooh!"

He looks happy and gosh! My brother is handsome. With his hair flying beautifully in the air, I see why every lady is dying to have him. That sunshade is doing wonders on his face for right now, he looks so graceful. I refused to wear it when he offered for my eyes needed a handful of freedom after yesterday's blindfold.

"We are almost there ok"

"I am tired of hearing that."

"Hahaha...Hey bro, you don't want me driving into a nearby hospital? The farther we get, the lesser the headlines."

What is he talking about?

"Check this out," he continued. "Hot billionaire's son drove his brother for an ass stitch-up."

"Shut up!" I yelled to his laughter.

He is right. It could have been safer if I had gone alone to any hospital around without him but he insisted on taking me. And with James, I am far from invisible. Going to any mum's hospital is out of the options too, because she will be aware of us right before we get any attendance.

I wonder how James got to know where we are going though, it is out of town, like damn!

"The long drive is the fun part of it all, yeah, we should have fun while trying to stitch your ass, don't you think?"

"One more word about my ass..."

"Easy tiger, we are here."

James announced as he turned into an entrance.

Wow! This place is a graveyard.

He drove seconds more before I could see the building. Why is the building this far from the entrance? In a place like this, any woman in labor will deliver even before getting to see the doctor.

"You didn't tell me we are coming to a cemetery."

"Your ass is dead anyway."

"James!"

"Sorry...The more isolated it is bro, the better. Come on, let's find a doctor."

"How did you know of this place?" I couldn't but help ask as we walked into the hall of the quiet clinic, hospital, whatever.

"G****e Map."

"Is this place on a map? How did you...?

"Hello."

A decent-looking man with a white coat asked, interrupting my inquisition. I have no idea when he came before us as I was bent on knowing how James knew of this place. He should be in his late thirties, he is quite young.

"Hello," James responded.

The white-coated man kept smiling at us.... demanding a question.

"How may I help you the young fellows?" He finally asked when James kept smiling back without a word.

"We are looking for a doctor or something."

Damn, James! His attire declares who he is.

"Something?"

"Someone...Someone to attend to us," James corrected.

"You are quite familiar. Do I know you?"

Great. I turned to the mighty James who believed his lousy face won't be recognized in the suburban. He blinked anxiously and I looked away, he should handle the exposure himself, I will have my mask handle mine.

"I don't think so. This is my first time meeting a handsome doctor."

Oh! My dear brother, I died of his embarrassment. He may have thought complimenting the doctor would save the day.

The said doctor smiled. I looked at James who winked at me in conquest and I shook my head.

"It has been a while since we had young faces around here. Let me walk you boys to my office," he said and led us to follow him.

"I am Dr. Saint." He introduced on our walk through a long corridor.

"James and that's Greg."

Everything here seems far from the other. Not only is the building from the entrance, but the doctor's office is also miles away from the reception. Pray, I am not taken out of the clinic when I request to use the restroom for my bladder is running out of storage already.

As we walked further into the corridor to a room, I appreciated how clean and calm this place is unlike other noisy hospitals I have visited. The only sound here is that of chirpings and I looked around to see those birds keeping this place a little lively.

This place feels so chilly, I bet there must be a water body nearby. I noticed a couple of aged men sitting below the trimmed grass compound with a nurse, I suppose. Having that cup-like thing on her hair tells nothing more. And with those aged men wearing that regular hospital uniform, I confirmed they must be the patients.

Inside the office with Dr. Saint, James took the post of an elder brother to narrate why we needed a doctor, and of course, he excluded the rape part. The doctor smiled all the way even as he heard how torn my hole was, James exaggerated.

When James finished all the necessary talks and payments. He was asked to step outside and wait in the hall until Dr. Saint finished his business with me.

I took off my mask to the complete recognition of the doctor. Dr. Saint is decent and kind, he didn't look at me shamelessly or accusingly. He ushered me to a rectangular bed covered with a blue sheet and directed I to remove my pants and lay on my stomach.

He started a story to distract me from whatever he was doing to my butt-hole. I feel no pain, maybe as a result of the injection he gave me. He kept telling his distracting aimed story as if I was a toddler and that made me remember Granny and everyone, always treating me like a child.

After a long cleaning and stitching, he announced his completion and helped me up. I felt much better. Apart from the obviousness that my butt was worked on, I feel less pain. He gave me lots of drugs with thousands of instructions. He didn't forget to warn me against having sex again until I was healed.

Ok, I am not gay!

He smiled when he saw that look on my face...

"Don't be embarrassed. I am sure that was your first time. It will get better..."

Holy crap! Now I am embarrassed.

"...The tear was huge. You are a strong one, I must say, but you need enough time to heal before..."

I didn't allow him to finish that when I unintentionally coughed out of embarrassment. If only he knew the whole story, he wouldn't appreciate me and talk about this "healing before....." Before getting another raped?

I don't know where to settle my gaze anymore, nobody told me I would be having this type of conversation. Helplessly, I decided to explore this absolutely neat office. My eyes caught a picture frame on the wall, I am sure he followed my gaze when he said...

"Ray. He is my partner."

"Partner?"

"We are married."

"Ooh!...."

"We own this hospital. We live here....not in here," he laughed softly. "I mean this town, nearby. But Ray is currently out of town."

I have no idea why he is telling me this. I wish James was here, he could have taken a bowl of popcorn and had this conversation to the end.

I stared at the photo again and blurted, "he is beautiful."

That was a mistake. I didn't mean to say it out loud. I had thought of how beautiful that man was before he told me he is a partner. Men are not to be qualified as beautiful but handsome.

"I am sorry, I mean to say handsome."

"Haha, come off it. Everybody knows he is beautiful and.... just like you are."

"What?" I scoffed out of surprise, I should have been prepared.

I have heard people whisper about how beautiful I am. I pay no attention to them since all they do is talk behind me and the fact, that I have never heard such a compliment from my family especially James who wouldn't hold back in saying it out loud if indeed I am, made me believe they are only trying to get my attention with such lies.

And now, with a voice loud and clear, Dr. Saint said it.

"There is nothing wrong in saying a man is beautiful if they are truly are."

"I ...."

"Oh! Don't be shy. Your boyfriend must have said that to you countless times."

"Boyfriend?"

Okay, this doctor is something. I am single and never ready to mingle. Well, I don't look single with this face of mine, everybody believes every handsome guy has someone. I need not blame him for assuming I have a boyfriend.

Holy crap? What am I thinking? I am not gay.

"We better walk back to the hall and let him see we are done here."

Wait a second!

"James?? He is my brother, Dr. Saint," I half shouted.

"Oh! I thought.....I am sorry," he apologized shyly.

Good. He should feel how it is to be embarrassed. Nice.

"You got yourself a caring brother," he managed to say after seconds of retracing his mistakes.

"I know. Thank you. May I use the restroom?"

Using that at this moment will save not only my bladder but also from this doctor.

"Yes please, over there." He pointed to the closed door at my left.

Finally found something decently near. "Thank you," I said.

After using some quality time to ease myself, I curiously and childishly bent over the large mirror in the restroom to see if I could see how hospitalized my ass is. The more I bend, the more I expand in pain, and I gave up.

"I will walk you to the hall." Dr. Saint offered immediately I stepped out of the restroom, handing over the bag of drugs he had prepared for me repeating for the hundredth time, the instructions and dosages to use at intervals.

"Thank you, Dr. Saint."

Just as we started walking down the hall, a nurse hurriedly met up with us and said something I didn't understand, but hearing him instructing the nurse to get one or more tools, I knew there must be a patient who needed urgent attention. The nurse raced down the corridor and disappeared into a room. Turning back to me, he said... "I am afraid I will leave you here."

"It is fine, Doctor."

"Take care of yourself, ...?"

"Greg." I took the hand he offered.

"Greg."

"Thank you, Dr. Saint."

He hurried in the same direction as the nurse at once and I walked down in search of James.

Reaching the hall, James wasn't there. It is not surprising, he would never sit in a place for a long time. He must have decided to explore the place and take some photos as souvenirs. I will find him after I get something for my throat.

I am parched. I don't know if it is from the medication I was given or from talking to that doctor so casually.

At another corner of the hall was a portable refrigerator filled with refreshing drinks, just what I needed. I dropped the bag of drugs on top of it to freely take a bottle of a mango juice. I was about to open the cork when I saw this figure walking in from the long corridor I stood with the doctor a few minutes ago.

I had never seen him in my life before, but something unexplainable struck my heart.

He walked mindlessly and sat where I was hoping to see James sitting, paying no attention to things and the people around him. There is no one here anyway, except me. He looks sad. No, angry. No, he must be sad. What is it that put him in such a low mood?

I have forgotten about my dried throat as I stare without blinking at him. If I am accurate, he should be around James' age or a bit older or even my age mate although he looks thicker and more masculine. He is young and must still be a student just like myself and James.

I needed to see his face clearly; I kept gazing, praying he lifted his face but to no luck. He took his cell phone out of his leather jacket and after a few scrolling, he put it away into his breast pocket. His expression saddened the more and gos face remained low, until James came out of nowhere and took my mango juice.

"Sorry bro, let's get out of here. I don't want any more oldies asking for entertainment."

"Huh?"

"You needed to see me singing and dancing to some oldies on their insist. Fun though but hell no, I am out of here."

James explained after gulping down my mango juice. I guess he needed it more. I turned to face him but honestly, I don't think I understood what he just said.

"Are you alright?"

James held my shoulder seeing I made no response to him. I should have laughed at his story, or do something, I know he expected some reactions but got none.

"I am alright."

"I mean with the doctor."

"Doctor?"

Everything sounds algebraic to my ears. All I want is to catch a glimpse of the boy sitting behind us.

"Your... hole..." James stretched the words for my understanding and indeed, I understood.

"James!"

I cautioned out of fear that he would say something to the hearing of the guy sitting over there. James chuckled and pinned his lips in a sort of apology. To James, he sees and notices no one else.

At once, I saw the boy stand up and walk out of the hall. Looking at him above my brother's shoulder, I felt his sad mood engulfing his aura. Whatever it is that is troubling him, I hope he finds a solution.

"Any drugs?"

"Oh! Yes." I reached up to the refrigerator to pick up the bag of drugs.

"Time to ride home bro.....we got a long drive."

"Thanks to who?"

"Me!"

James laughed and resumed his session with the hospital oldies.

*************************

POV: NICHOLAS

Rushing into her ward, Dr. Saint found the machine indicating her blood pressure was dropping.

She has been in a coma for over two years now. Left for Dr. Saint, he would have ended her suffering and laid her to rest a long time ago, but her brother has abruptly refused to give up on her. He has begged the hospital to keep his sister and watch over her that he would be paying every bill as long she is alive no matter how long she stays in a coma.

At first, Dr. Saint and his partner Ray thought he would give up after a year or so, but no matter how much the bill cost, Nicholas always finds a way to keep his sister alive. Just yesterday, he paid a huge amount of money.

They have asked him severally how he manages to make such money but Nicholas being Nicholas, shuts them out of his business.

"Your only job is to keep my sister alive and not turn to my parole officer." He cautioned Dr. Saint.

Dr. Saint tried to overlook his unknown means of acquiring money and offered him to pay as little as he could afford to prevent him from engaging in anything illegal, but he insisted on taking fully charged of his sister no matter the cost and he is keeping to it.

Elena was in an accident that took the lives of her parents and left her with little or no chance of survival. But over the years, Dr. Saint and Ray who have been taking medical care of her have started seeing her better chances of survival.

"She is fighting to live too, Nick. Have some faith." Dr. Ray encouraged Nicholas on a daily basis when he seems unsure of his sister's health.

Although lately, she has been going into cardiac arrest as often as the rain which has resurrected their worries of losing her permanently.

Nicholas, who has shown no care to any other thing except to Elena couldn't believe the shock his sister went through this afternoon. Dr. Saint intentionally allowed him to stay in the ward when he was called upon on his walkway to the hall with Greg. He wanted him to witness and prepare himself for the worst.

Thankfully, she was able to be put out of critical state today after minutes of using defibrillator on her. Nicholas, totally overwhelmed by his sister's condition, walked out of the ward into the hall devastated. He would do anything to see his sister out of a coma and hospital for good.

She showed signs of improvement months ago, whatever is happening now is breaking Nicholas.

Having lost their parents and his elder sister taking off, losing his younger sister too is the last thing he wants now.

Walking into the hospital hall, he couldn't feel his legs anymore as sadness gripped his whole bones. He sat down for a while on the seat there and kept thinking about what to do. He knows he can't afford an expensive hospital in the city.

Dr. Saint and Ray see him as a family now and he believes they're doing their best to revive his sister. Moving his sister to a bigger hospital will be a huge responsibility for him which he is willing to take but how much is it that he can earn from part-time jobs as a high school student?

Responsibility has made him stronger and more independent than his age. He knows he has to work on earning more and more until he gets his sister out of that state.

The way he earns impressive money is that only way. which he doesn't want to indulge in agony until he gets rid of the guilt he felt yesterday after raping that fragile boy.

In the past, he'd allow other guys to do that to him and have Vain watching.

Yesterday, Vain promised him more if he let him watch while he rapes someone.

He feels he will explode. The thoughts of his sister and this boy from yesterday are killing him. He needs to scoop in some peace within his spirit, and he knows how.

Quickly, he stood and made his way to the little lake at the depth of the hospital, to sit and pray as always.